Uncorkings: Bill Foley to Launch an Exclusive Members-Only Awards Program

Uncorkings: Bill Foley to Launch an Exclusive Members-Only Awards Program

Plus more news and notes from the world of wine and spirits.

By Andrew Hoover

Bill Foley, owner of Foley Family Wines—an umbrella company that owns 12 international wineries, including Clifford Bay Estate in New Zealand’s Awatere Valley, and Lincourt Vineyards in Santa Ynez Valley, California—is set to launch Foley Food and Wine Society later this fall, according to The Wall Street Journal. The society is structured similarly to an airline mileage rewards program: members will amass points for every bottle of Foley wine they purchase. Points are redeemable for meals at Foley-owned restaurants, hotels and resorts throughout California, Montana, Washington State and New Zealand.

Mario Batali, Lidia and Joe Bastianich, and their partners are slated to open a second U.S. location of the Italian food-and-wine emporium, Eataly, in Chicago in September 2013. Eataly debuted in New York City in 2010 after first launching in Turin, Italy, in 2007.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine Executive Editor Susan Kostrzewa was inducted into the New York chapter of the Ordre de Coteaux de Champagne—an organization that promotes the wines of Champagne—on Monday, October 15 at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. Kostrzewa was sponsored by Louis Roederer Champagne and chosen for her dedication to promoting Champagne to American consumers, as well as her writing in wine-and-food pairing topics. Kostrzewa was also noted for her attempts to "modernize" the world of wine though her editorial direction.

Dogfish Head, a Delaware-based craft brewery, is teaming up with rock band Grateful Dead to release a limited-edition pale ale, American Beauty. The beer will be brewed with American hops and barley as well as a yet-to-be-determined special ingredient that will be voted on by fans online in December. The new release is expected to hit stores within Dogfish Head’s 27-state distribution network in October 2013. Other Dogfish Head music-inspired beers include Faithfull Ale (a partnership with Pearl Jam), as well as two collaborations with Sony Legacy: Hellhound on My Ale (a nod to bluesman Robert Johnson) and Bitches Brew (a Miles Davis tribute).

Jean-Guillaume Prats, CEO of second-growth Château Cos d’Estournel, has announced his departure from the Saint-Estèphe-based estate. The news was released to Bordeaux négociants in a letter written by Cos d’Estournel owner Michel Reybier on October 15. According to Reybier, Prats will remain with the château until mid-January 2013, before becoming CEO of Estates & Wines, Moët-Hennessy’s collection of prestigious wine properties including Argentina’s Cheval des Andes and Spain’s Numanthia.